Passenger Trains > Los Angeles Union Station--tracks 13, 14, 15

Earlier this month, someone at the Pacific RR Society meeting asked about the new tracks at LA Union Station. Here are some photos I took today:

1) What's behind the white panels? Let's go topside and take a look.

2) Tracks 14 and 15 are almost ready for action.

3) Tracks 12 (existing) and 13 (new). Note the contrast in construction, also, note that the shelters are as close as possible to the originals.

And no, I was not challenged by any station personnel.

---

---

---

4) The track leading to the new tracks goes around the bend (literally) so I guess I'll have to take a Metrolink ride for a closer look.

5) Looking southward with the LA Metro headquarters building on the left.

I've heard rumors that this expansion is related to (take your pick) A) the Run Through Tracks project) or B) Calif. High Speed Rail.

---

---

Back in Nov 2011 I was told the new platforms would be finish in Dec 2012.
Dennis

DNRY122 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 4) The track leading to the new tracks goes around
> the bend (literally) so I guess I'll have to take
> a Metrolink ride for a closer look.

There's not much there to look at. The three tracks merge into one right in front of the camera (CP 34), that one track becomes the five lead. The single mast signal in the center of the shot is CP Terminal. The only thing around the corner is the crossover/turnout which trains currently have to use to reach the 5 Lead.

DNRY122 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've heard rumors that this expansion is related
> to (take your pick) A) the Run Through Tracks
> project) or B) Calif. High Speed Rail.

I don't believe either one is the case. The reason this is being done is to refurbish all the platforms (HSR Money might be playing a role in it). By rebuilding this platform Amtrak/Metrolink/CalTrans/MTA/etc can shift traffic from another platform over to that one, then take that platform out of service and rebuild it. All the platforms are in desperate need of an overhaul, but there simply isn't any opportunity at current traffic levels to do more than simple maintenance. Once all the platforms are done the extra platform will be useful in offsetting congestion in the terminal (there are a few Metrolink trains which, if they arrive early, have to wait at CP Terminal for a track to open up. Before the Sunset Limited Schedule was changed, if #1 or #3 weren't cleared off the platform quickly enough then the Surfliner Express was left hanging out to dry, once for nearly half an hour), and increasing traffic levels.

Could a track 16 be put in?

usmc1401 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Could a track 16 be put in?

Physically yes, but it never will be on account the R/W for what would be Track 16 needs to be maintained for emergency vehicle access.

"Current traffic levels"--what a good problem to have. Many of us remember when Union Station (a.k.a. Union Passenger Terminal) was called the Alameda St. Mausoleum, because pigeons outnumbered passengers, and only about a dozen trains a day arrived and departed.

When the through tracks are extended, they will be taken out of service for a while, as the south end of the track must be raised, just as the two light rail tracks are now.

This goes back to planning of 20 years ago, that at one time was on the web, but was removed several years ago.

I remember Richard Phelps discussing all of this stuff at the TRAC meeting in 2007. Nice to see it finally coming to fruition.

When I was assigned to LAUPT, 1949=50-51, there were
16 tracks,,,PRS #14....

I thought the canopies were going to be removed and a second floor for the CAHSR project was to be added so why refurbish the canopies?

Geep Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I thought the canopies were going to be removed
> and a second floor for the CAHSR project was to be
> added so why refurbish the canopies?

I expect the canopies will again need refurbishing long before the CAHSR project comes to LA Union Station.

mundo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When the through tracks are extended, they will be
> taken out of service for a while, as the south end
> of the track must be raised, just as the two light
> rail tracks are now.
>
> This goes back to planning of 20 years ago, that
> at one time was on the web, but was removed
> several years ago.

When I was there in May I looked over the south wall down to the street - it will be a formidable project. Is there a date for extending through tracks or is it just speculation? And would the extension be for regular trains or high speed rail?

There used to be a web site that had a lot of plans and descriptions for this. I think it was www.runthrutracks.org. It is long gone, but perhaps the Wayback Machine can still find it.

Refurbishing these end tracks and replacing the platforms and whatnot WAS part of the run-thru tracks project. The reason was as described: they gave extra capacity that allowed other platforms to be taken out of service for rebuilding. In the case of the run-thru tracks I think it was platforms 2 and 3. But that is from memory, and I may have the numbers wrong. There wouldn't have been anything 'high speed' at all about the run-thru tracks. There were several proposed track plans, and the approved plan (again, as best I recall) had the 4 tracks for platforms 2 and 3 merging down to 2 tracks as the bridge crossed the 10 freeway. I believe platform 3 merged west to platform 2. Then both tracks made a sharp left turn to parallel the 10 freeway about 200 feet south of the freeway until the river was reached, where there was a hard right turn and a descent to ground level to merge into the track system on the west side of the river.

Since I remember reading those plans, I've noticed on Google Earth that there is a run-thru track pair of some sort that crosses the 10 and goes someplace west. I presume that is light rail or subway or the like; I've never heard it described. That was not, as best I recall, in the run-thru track plans. Since it got built after the run-thru plans were done, they likely would have to be redone from scratch if anyone ever attempted to implement them.

The extension of tracks 1 and 2 is for the Gold Line light rail to East Los Angeles. Because of the loading gauge (and probably the tight curves) these tracks are for Metro light rail units only. And I should mention that the freeway on the south side of the station is the US 101 (I-10 is quite a ways further south). That segment of freeway has a bitter memory for Southern California electric railway fans. Up until 1952, it was Aliso St., and was the path for Pacific Electric cars heading to the Northern District. The last two lines to quit went to Glendora and Pasadena; when the predecessor of Caltrans pre-empted Aliso St., there wasn't any money to relocate the PE tracks, and I think PE wanted to abandon the lines anyway, because the tracks and overhead were "life expired". PE "crunched the numbers" as we say nowadays, and bought a fleet of diesel buses.

Sorry, yes, 101 not 10. Despite the fact that I10 continues straight west, it becomes the 101, while I10 itself makes a 90 degree left turn and moves a few miles South so that it can then turn right and continue in the I-60 alignment. Since I-60 can't make a left turn and take up the I10 alignment, it just ends at that point. I've never figured that brilliant bit of road numbering out. The good news with 101 is that if you follow it west you can get off on Fairfax and go to Cantor's.

It looks like the run through tracks web site is gone, but I found a draft EIS at the FRA that has a number of aerial images (without smog!) that show the station and the proposed track alignment:

http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/rrdev/larunexsumm.pdf

Page ES-8 has a picture of the two alignments that were finalists in the bidding. I believe alignment A-1 was preferred as it didn't need to destroy as many still-existing commercial buildings.

On the PE, it certainly is a shame the line to the northern districts were cut and they were abandoned. As I recall the PE was offered trackage on a bridge that either existed or could have been built (I forget which) just south of the freeway, and it could have then crossed and regained the connection to the northern districts on the east side of the river. However, that would have cost money, and the SP wasn't in the business of supporting a competitor, even if they owned them.

So the bottom line is that run-through, except for light rail, is again far back on the urban planner's dusty top shelf. Correct?

I don't know that we know the answer to that. Was it ever more than a dream of a bunch of well-heeled transportation fans? I really can't tell from the EIS. Was there ever anyone in the City government or associated in a meaningful way with station planning that was a strong political proponent of this? Again, I can't tell from the EIS or the web site that once existed. Is there still anyone in the City government that is in favor of this and is pushing it? I rather doubt it, since I haven't heard anything of it recently; and yet the light-rail tracks were built with hardly a murmur.

Perhaps this is part of an LA development master plan, or perhaps it isn't. You would have to ask the planning commission, or look at the zoning ordinances, or see if there are official planning maps with exclusion zones where the tracks might end up. Maybe the Planning Commission is on board and has at least tentatively reserved space for the tracks, and maybe it has never heard of the concept. Or maybe it once heard for too much of something it has never had the slightest interest in, and has no intention of allowing.